kscans

Chapter 48 - Black Sky and Emma's Whereabouts

I looked down at the fallen black panther-woman. She was lying face down, but there was no mistaking her. It was Riley, the one who'd hassled us in Richel. She seemed to have a wound on her abdomen. A trail of blood showed where she had dragged herself. She wasn't moving a muscle. Was she dead?

"There are more of them over there,"

Cecily pointed. I looked in the direction she indicated and saw three men lying on the ground. Weapons were scattered around them. It looked like they had been fighting. A fatal-looking stab wound, a body bent at an unnatural angle. These ones were definitely dead. The smell of blood, carried by the dampness of the light rain, drifted over. I felt sick and had to fight back the urge to vomit. Famu, Mizuki, and a moment later, Aira, came running up. I wanted to stop them, but I couldn't find my voice. Mizuki's face twisted, and she covered her mouth with her hand. I was probably making a similar face.

"It's the party members from Black Sky we met in the dungeon. I believe they're Riley, Freddy, and Noah. The other is a man. It doesn't seem to be Emma,"

Myra said. Was she unfazed by this gruesome scene? She crouched down and placed her fingers on Riley's neck.

"...She's alive,"

Myra said.

"...Can we save her?"

I asked.

"Hey! Are you an idiot? She tried to kill us! You were the one all fired up about blasting them with [Goddess Summon] if you ever found them!"

Cecily exclaimed.

"Yeah, but..."

Seeing her on the verge of death, I thought it was her own damn fault, but I couldn't bring myself to just leave her.

"Master, I'm against it as well."

"So you're against it too, Famu?"

"Yes. I can forgive her for provoking me. But I cannot forgive the killing intent she directed at you, Master."

"Shouldn't you be less forgiving of the fact that she provoked you?"

Famu shook her head. Persuading her was going to be difficult.

"Sorry, but I can't bring myself to help her either,"

Aira added, following Famu's lead.

"Mizuki, please. I need you on my side."

At my words, Mizuki nodded.

"I understand how you feel, Mash. Even if she's an enemy, it feels wrong to abandon someone who's about to die. Besides, if we help her, we might get information about the otherworlders."

We were thinking the exact same thing. I was truly glad Mizuki was here.

"From my position, I want to help her. I will save her, and then I will leave the decision to all of you,"

Myra said.

"Hey, don't bring trouble our way,"

Avea, who had been watching us, interjected. The members of the Mateo Trading Company had also gathered and were starting to move the fallen trees from the road.

"Yeah, one of them is alive. I don't know if she'll make it, but I want to treat her and find out what happened."

"She's either a bandit or an adventurer. People like that should be prepared for this sort of thing, so the golden rule is to leave them be. Getting involved in a situation like this will only get you resented or attacked by god-knows-who. All you need to do is report it at the next settlement."

Avea's attitude felt curt, but she probably just saw it as a nuisance. This was the kind of thing that could happen when you were an adventurer.

"I know this black panther-woman. She's an adventurer named Riley, from a party called Black Sky. Two of the men over there are also members. The other one I don't recognize."

"...Well, fine. More importantly, we need to clear the road so the wagons can get through. It's raining. I want to get to today's destination before the road turns to mud. Help out."

"Got it."

I replied.

"But what's your take on this situation, Avea?"

"You know them, right? Shouldn't you have a better idea?"

"No, she just picked a fight with us once. We don't know anything."

Avea gave me a suspicious look, but the truth was, I had no idea what was going on.

"My assessment is, well, just as it looks. Those men over there fought. A bandit attack or a squabble between adventurers, something like that. The way the black panther-woman and the trees are knocked down looks like the work of a monster, but I haven't heard any reports of a giant monster like that around here. It was probably a skill."

"A special skill?"

"Who knows. As I said, if she's just a casual acquaintance, you're better off leaving her alone. I don't want this to affect the caravan."

Avea said dismissively.

"You're used to this."

"You're too naive. How have you managed to stay alive this long?"

"Well, I've tried to stay out of trouble as much as possible."

"...That wasn't a compliment. I'll have to train you again."

Avea went off to help the Mateo Trading Company. As I watched her go, Beers clapped me on the shoulder.

"You were divided on whether to help her or not, right? I'll cast a vote for helping her. Well, I'm an outsider, but there's no point in party members arguing."

His voice was still high-pitched for his appearance.

We decided to carry the black panther-woman, Riley, to our wagon for treatment. Adding one or two more people would just make it a bit more crowded, but it wasn't a problem. I got Claire's permission as well. After carrying Riley to the wagon and leaving her treatment to Myra and Aira, I helped clear the fallen trees. One of the trees blocking the road was massive. We tried pulling it with a horse, but it wouldn't budge. We had no choice but to cut it into smaller logs with a saw. The saw was a huge two-man type. Famu and I worked as a pair, pulling it back and forth. It was a time-consuming task, and the gradually strengthening rain was miserable. But how did they manage to fell such a huge tree? I imagined a Goblin King or Hekatonkheires. They might be able to create a scene like this. But it reminded me even more of Aidan's special skill, [Siege]. That technique could probably do it in one shot.

"Master. Are there people you can't forgive?"

Famu asked. Of course there were. I'm no saint.

"There are. I don't know the exact number, but there are about five hundred of them."

"Isn't that too many? Can you really remember your anger and resentment for so many people?"

"No, actually, I don't know a single one of their names."

"Are they people from your original world?"

"I've forgotten about my original world... I don't want to remember."

I answered with a distant look in my eyes. Famu stared into them. I wasn't hiding anything; it was all the truth.

"Then what kind of people are they?"

"Is 'I don't want to answer' not an option?"

"It feels a bit like a riddle. May I try to guess?"

It seemed I had to answer.

"It's been a while. Fine, give it a shot. If you guess right, it's a three-day Famu Festival starting today. We'll make a nude statue of Famu and have a horse pull it."

"The Famu Festival is embarrassing, so please cancel it immediately!"

"But I want to praise and boast about Famu."

"My naked body is not for public display! Please enjoy it by yourself, Master!"

Famu fell silent. She seemed to be thinking. I thought she'd seen through me, but apparently not.

"...I don't know. But it doesn't seem to be anger or resentment for something done directly to you. And that number is just too high for only a month after you transferred. It's also strange that I, who have been with you almost the entire time, wouldn't have noticed."

"Sharp. You're mostly right."

"Is it something you don't want to tell me because it's related to Mizuki?"

How did she arrive at that conclusion? I'd told her everything because I knew she'd see through it even if I tried to hide it.

"N-No, that's wrong. You're getting colder."

"Hmph. Then why are you hesitating?"

"W-Well, it's, uh, that. Anyway, Mizuki has nothing to do with it."

Famu fell silent again. The sound of the saw pulling back and forth echoed.

"...I still don't know. Could you please tell me the answer?"

I didn't want to say it, but I disliked the idea of her making unnecessary guesses even more.

"...Well, there are some people who put a Slave Mark on a certain someone and threw him in a cell."

"No way... were you in love with Reed-san, Master...?"

"Hey! What kind of misdirection is that?"

"...Just kidding,"

Famu replied.

"Master,"

Famu started to say, just as the tree was cut through. And then she fell silent. We had a horse pull the log to the side of the road. Finally, the wagons could pass. The caravan resumed its journey.

The caravan pressed on through the rain and arrived at a settlement. It was a post town. Several stables and inns lined the main road. It served as a relay point between Richel and other towns. We would be able to stay at an inn tonight, but summoning Laciel was probably out of the question. Thanks to Myra and Aira's healing, Riley's wound had closed, and she had recovered enough to talk. But she hadn't spoken a single word, remaining silent. And so, we gathered in the inn's dining hall for a 'meeting to surround Riley.' All the members of Levante were there, plus Riley. There was ale set in front of Myra, Aira, Cecily, and Riley. Mizuki didn't seem to feel like drinking today. And since I wasn't drinking, Famu wasn't either. The three of us had grape juice.

"...Hmph, what?"

Mizuki said as I stared at her mug. Her tone was clearly accusatory.

"No, I wasn't thinking anything. It's just your paranoia, Mizuki."

"Well, if you say so..."

Mizuki muttered sulkily.

"So, what happened?"

I turned my gaze to Riley.

"..."

Riley didn't answer.

"...What a pain. Maybe I should have just left you behind, like Avea said."

It was genuinely a pain, so I said it out loud. It would be great if she got angry and talked back.

"Was it really you who said to help me?"

Riley spoke for the first time.

"Talk is cheap. The ones who actually saved you were Myra and Aira."

"I know that."

This conversation wasn't going anywhere. I wanted to just punch her square in the face, throw her out of the inn, and be done with it. A joke, of course.

"By the way, how's your master Emma doing? Are the pets she kept, Heka-chan and Ton-chan, doing okay? Their mischief went a little too far, so I lost my temper and had to discipline them, but I hope she doesn't mind."

"...You knew?"

"Even an idiot would know!"

Cecily, who must have been even more irritated than me, shot back. Did she have Kansai blood in her veins?

"Well, whatever. Let's just hand her over to the garrison. Emma's probably dead anyway."

"Did you see her?"

"Who knows."

"Because I'm alive, my master is alive."

"Is that Slave Mark of yours set up so that you die if Emma dies?"

"That's right."

Riley nodded. What a nasty business. Oh well. I'd use this to trap her.

"In that case, you probably don't have long to live. Too bad, after you just recovered."

"Do you know what happened to my master?"

"You talk first."

Riley clicked her tongue. Then she began to speak.

"We were heading to Frucht to get ahead of your movements. At that spot, we ran into Ito, a transfer from the same world as my master. Ito was leading a band of thieves. A fight broke out."

It seems they even knew the route we were taking to Miglutt.

"Why did a fight break out?"

"They were arguing about whether to kill you or not. My master insisted you should be killed, but Ito was against any trouble and warned us not to interfere."

For a thief, he sounded like a decent guy. Were Ito and Emma transfers summoned by the same god, like me and Mizuki?

"It sounds like you lost badly. How many enemies were there?"

"There were six who attacked us."

"Were they all human? Did Emma summon some kind of monster that could knock down trees?"

"That was Ito. Ito has a special skill that lets him transform his body into a dragon."

Riley's expression was full of frustration. They must have been completely outmatched and utterly crushed. He sounded like a tough opponent, but at the same time, I felt like we could handle him somehow.

"When and where did you and Emma meet?"

"About a year ago. My master bought me in the Imperial Capital."

"For how much?"

"150 gold coins."

"..."

More than a female warrior. Avea wasn't a slave, but I thought about the sense of security her presence in the caravan provided. Was Riley worth more than that? No, it was wrong to measure a person's worth in gold coins in the first place. I looked at Mizuki. Mizuki was looking at me, too. At the very least, Emma had enough money to buy Riley a year ago. Not all transfers had come to this world at the same time.

"That's my situation. Now give me information on my master."

"Sorry, but I don't have any. When we arrived, you, Freddy, Noah, and another unfamiliar warrior-like man were all down. You were the only one alive."

"You bastard! You tricked me."

"That's right. Got a problem with it?"

I shot back defiantly. I had no intention of apologizing.

"..."

I thought she might lash out, but she just hung her head. Just then, Claire appeared. She saw me and came over.

"I've reported to the settlement's garrison."

I ordered a mug of ale for her. The ale arrived quickly, and she held the mug and drank about a third of it in one go.

"I'm exhausted..."

"Any information?"

"It seems no group of adventurers likely to cause trouble has passed through or stayed here."

"There were no side roads on the highway."

Claire nodded. The road was a single path. The only way forward was blocked by the caravan and the settlement. That meant the people who attacked Black Sky were either hiding somewhere in the forest or had hidden and let us pass.

"They probably aren't using the main road. Recently, there have been frequent bandit appearances on the road near the settlement. They believe you were attacked by those bandits. It's unusual for bandits not to have collected the weapons, though."

"Does Avea know?"

"She probably does by now. I sent Mercedes to inform her."

I nodded. The entire caravan couldn't stay in one inn, so we had split up among several. The inn we were staying at was reserved exclusively for the members of Levante.

"Also, it seems there will be heavy rain tomorrow. We'll decide based on the weather in the morning, but we may end up staying here."

"I see. How do you know about the heavy rain?"

"There's someone who can read the weather. Though they can be wrong sometimes."

It was probably something like looking at the western sky and saying if it's a sunset, it will be sunny tomorrow. I turned back to Riley, who had been listening to our conversation in silence.

"Well, for today, have a drink and some food. I'll pay for your lodging too."

I said to her.